APE takes it mobile

Fledging Perth technology company APE Mobile has struck deals with some of the largest civil engineering contractors and secured Perth business leader Giles Everist to join its board.

Mr Everist has joined the APE Mobile board as non-executive director, bringing experience from other directorship roles with Logicamms, Decmil, Austal and Macmahon Holdings.

The series of wins, which also includes striking its first reseller agreement, has prompted APE Mobile to launch a funding round seeking $1.5 million.

APE Mobile officially launched in January this year offering construction and engineering contractors the ability to manage documents on iPads and mobile devices while on site.

Founder and chief executive Matt Edwards said the idea came to him while employed as a consultant.

“I was working with a contractor and I noticed a few of the guys had iPads out on site, but they were still spending hours every day either filling in forms or actually heading back to the main office to use laptops,” Mr Edwards said.

Mr Edwards spent three years creating a system, with the help of a developer, which enables contractors to shift the paper process to using mobile devices.

Other companies such as Synaptor and SEE Forge have also developed products designed to move the paper process to mobile.

Mr Edwards said APE Mobile enabled companies to still use the same methods and processes as the paper-based system, but on mobile devices.

APE Mobile last week added RJ Vincent & Co to its list of 17 enterprise clients. Mr Edwards said that company was a good example of why companies could not simply start using different forms.

“They’ve spent the last 20 or 30 years building their processes and how they do things – they don’t want someone like me to come along and tell them how to run their project,” he said.

Calibre Group and Monadelphous Group have also started using the system while Perth project management company, Allied Projects, has become the company’s first reseller.

Mr Edwards said he hoped Mr Everist’s addition would help attract funding from private and institutional investors.